Cuz
by indigosilver
Summary: Miko Saura tackles a new school, a distant cousin, a pele-mele family, a scarring past, and an uncertain future. Chapter 14: Crash landing OC story OCpairings. R&R please
1. Chapter 1: Tears and alien Monsters

**Title: Cuz'  
****Summary: Miko Saura transfers to Seishun to be closer to her cousin, who's on the Seigaku tennis team. As she becomes friends with the starters, her past comes out, bit by bit. Can she deal with it?  
****Rating: T, because of swearing, mature themes and just to be safe.****  
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. **

* * *

-Chapter 1-

"Im tellin' ya man it was drug overdose." Renoki was looking up from his Jump magazine at his friend.

"What are you talking about? You stupid or something?" Waani groaned irrately.

The two teenagers glared daggers at each other. Two weeks on a California beach was supposed to be a nice, relaxing vacation. Instead, they had lost their luggage, been dogged by bad weather and were forced to come home early for school. Now on the plane, all their bent up energy was being released into their little fights. The current topic: a rockstar's cause of death.

"What was it then?" Renoki demanded.  
Waani crossed his arms. "I don't remember."  
Renoki burst out laughing.  
"But I know it was some sorta accident." Waani insisted, frustrated at being mocked.  
"Right. An _accidental_ drug overdose."

It looked like Waani was going to shove Renoki's magazine down his throat when a voice piped up: "Are you talking about John Bonham?"

Two boys with murderous glares rounded on the speaker who sat next to Renoki.

It was a girl with shoulder-length black hair, with one earbud connected to an MP-3.

"Vomit." said the girl matter-of-factly.

"Aaahhh!" said Renoki, lurching away from her, his magazine held in front of him, shielding his precious face.

5 minutes later, when his friend was still in the exact same position while the girl looked puzzled, Waani sighed and pushed the magazine down, whispering to his friend: "Moron. She's not gonna puke."

"Easy for you to say!" Renoki retorted, but relunctantly moved back into his seat.

"Um... John Bonham... died... in a pool of his own vomit." The girl restarted uncertainly.

"How would you know?" Waani asked her.

She smiled comfortably, "My friend is a big fan of rock music."

Renoki nodded knowledgably: "It's true. He died in a pool of vomit. How undignified."

"Hey!! Weren't you just saying how he definately overdosed?! WTH! Make up your mind!" Waani exploded, pulling his hair in frustration.

"I'm Miko Saura." The girl happily introduced herself to Renoki.

"Ohayou Saura-san. I'm Namimura Renoki. Ignore this guy," he pointed to Waani, who was having a mini-fit on the plane, "He's not important."

"Quiet, you!" Waani yelled.

And so went the rest of the trip, with the stewardesses occassionally having to tell them to settle down during the more heated arguments. But at least no one died.

* * *

The green minivan pulled up to the school gates, narrowly missing a sign that said NO PARKING.

"So _this _is what happens when I put my life in your hands, Waani!" Renoki dramatized as he pulled himself out of the glove box.

"That'll teach you for hitting the driver while he's driving." Waani answered.

"You deserved--" Renoki began, when a groan was heard from the back seat.

"Miko-chan! You alright?"

With great effort, Miko digged her way out of the great mess that was Waani's backseat, which fell onto her at the last sharp turn. She grinned happily. "Yep! Except for...aha! My hat!"  
She then put on her hat.

To be honest, Miko's clothes were... weird. A black hoodie, dark jeans, a black hat, sunglasses and leather biker gloves. Her clothes on the plane were much cuter. But near the end she had gone into the bathroom and come back... like this. Apparently, it was all part of her 'master plan' to spy on her cousin.

_"Cousingly love- so beautiful!" _Renoki thought to himself.

"Are you crying?" Waani asked him, sweatdropping.

Renoki gasped and turned away, "N-no!"

Waani and Miko laughed 'til they cried.

"Well, thanks for the ride!" Miko picked up her racquet bag and shoved a pile of Shonen magazines aside so she could get out.  
Renoki went around the side of the van and opened the door for her.

"You sure you're gonna be alright on your own?" Waani eyed his new young friend.

"Yeah, I'm used to it!" She replied perkily.

"See ya later then." Renoki turned his back to her rather coldly.

"Bye-bye!" Miko called as she walked away, onto the Seishun Gakuen school grounds, waving.

Waani waved back. "You're so pathetic." He told Renoki as he climbed back into the vehicle.

"Shut up and drive!" Renoki ordered, as he wiped the fresh tears of "_Such strong youth- so beautiful!"_ from his face.

"As you wish," Waani muttered, pulling out of the NO PARKING zone a little more gently than he had come in.

* * *

_"So this is my cousin's tennis team." _I observed a few of Seigaku's exercizes and practice matches in avid fascination.

_"They...suck!" _I concluded in horror.

In all fairness, it was mostly 7th and 8th graders, and the regulars weren't there.

_"But they still suck."_ I refused to let it go.

"Where are the Regulars?" I asked a sevie who was randomly passing by.

He took one look at me and ran away crying about "Yakuza Bikers".

_"I guess my japanese is still a bit rusty."_ I shrugged it off.

Then, I saw it.  
The Clubroom.

A scene from one of my friends' prized action movies flashed in my mind. It's the one with that British secret agent who sneaks into the bad guy's secret lair and surprises him like "Yeoza!"

Completly disregarding the fact that I'm here to 'spy' on my cousin, and not jump out at him from behind a shelf, I decide to sneak into the clubroom.

I'm not exactly the sneakiest of the sneaky. I'm crawling on my hands and knees, like that guy from Impossible Mission, getting my 'borrowed' jeans dirty.  
Luckily everyone's busy with something happening on the courts.

I creak open the door and expect a scary futuristic alien monster to jump out at me.

I am knocked backwards.  
Not by an alien, but by stinky boy sweat.

_"Empty." _I close the door behind me.  
_"_Now_ the futuristic alien monster's gonna get me." _I apply my knowledge from horror movies.

...

"Stupid futuristic alien monsters! Where are you?!" I huff out angrily.

...

"Fine then! I'll just lay down on this bench and fall asleep- when I'll become my most vulnerable!" I tempt the monster by laying down.

_"This actually kinda comfy. And that was such a long plane ride..." _I figure, why not? A little nap won't hurt anyone.

"Goodnight alien monsters." I whisper.

* * *

**Author's note  
I hope this is better than the original version. Wadiya think? Please review.**


	2. Chapter2: Goodbye Miko, Hello Biker Dude

-Chapter 2-

The sunlight was creeping in through the high windows of the clubroom, and fading fast. It was getting late, so there were only a few sounds from the courts, as the seventh graders cleaned up. But, there was also unusually loud chatter as people discussed the awesome match they had just seen take place. The door creaks open as I walk in the empty room.

"Mrmrr...stupid seventh grader...mrm...thinks he's so good...mrmrrr..." I mutter to myself as I throw my racquet into my bag. _How did that happen?! How could I lose to some loser seventh grader with a broken racquet? And everyone saw! DAMMIT!_

My clothes cling to me and sweat pours down my neck from the effort I put into the match. _And Echizen didn't even break a sweat! What is wrong with him?!_

I try to kick off my shoes, but they stubbornly stay stuck to my feet. So I have to sit down on the messy bench to untie my pro tennis shoes.

"Gaahh!" I immediately jump off as the bench _moves_. As I get a better look, I notice that the shape I thought was a pile of clothes was actually a person dressed all in black sprawled out on the bench.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Wake up!" I shove the guy, noticing that he isn't a Seishun student.

Apparently, I shoved a little too hard, 'cause I push the guy right off the bench. There's a loud bang, then silence.

_He's still sleeping_, I realize, irritated.

"Ah! What's wrong with you?! Get up!" I reach down to shake the guy a little when a black leather-gloved hand shoots out and grabs my wrist. There's a quick tug, and I'm suddenly on the floor with this Biker Dude crouched by my side, gripping my wrist painfully.

"I heard you the first time," the intruder growls.

"Let me go, you freak!" I try to get up, but the guy's holding my wrist in a way that twists it harder the more I pull away, and I'm scared that he might break it if I move.

"Oh, _I'm_ the freak?" Biker Dude brings his face right up to mine, so that I can feel his breath on my face. He has his collar pulled up, covering most of his features, and thick framed sunglasses, covering the rest. The only part of his face I can see is the tip of his nose, which is kinda hard, since it's an inch away from my own. "You're the one who assaulted an unconscious man. Why you gotta be so violent? You wanted to join?" Biker Dude looks like he's grinning. Then he snarls. "Too bad, 'cuz now I'm gonna stuff that headband down your throat."

"What's going on in here? Arai? Who is this guy? What's he doing here?" Momo was standing in the doorway with Echizen-the-seventh-grader by his side.

I was glad that I wasn't alone with Biker Dude anymore, but I hated that that stupid seventh grader had to be there. "I don't know! He was just in here-"

"You know, it's not very _nice_ to talk about people like they're not even there," Biker Dude said threateningly, twisting my wrist.

"OW!" I can't believe how much pain he can cause with just one hand. _It feels like he's crushing my bones...oh god, please don't break my wrist._

"Stop that!" Momo moves to push the guy, but he gets out of the way before he can touch him.

_Yes! I'm free!_ I get up quickly and back away from Biker Dude.

"Ooh, temper, temper. Tsk, tsk. Violence will get you nowhere, young man," Biker Dude says in a fake adult voice. _Is this a game for him? _I wonder.

"Who are you?" Momo looks seriously pissed off.

"The real question is: who are _you_? Who are _you_ to wake me up? Who are _you_ to stand over me like you're better than me?! You people MAKE ME SICK!! You're weak, and cruel, and you don't know WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE DOING!! So don't even fucking try to talk to me like that." Biker Dude's voice gets weirdly quiet at the end, which sends chills down my spine.

It looks like Momo is using all of his control not to punch the guy. "Get out."

"Bite me."

"This isn't your school! I don't even know you, so why the heck do you think you know me?! You can't just come in here and hurt my friend for no reason, and expect-"

"I have my reasons, but I wouldn't _expect_ you to understand."

"I don't care! I don't care what frigging school you're spying for, I just want you to get OUT!"

"Spying? So that's what you think this is about, huh? You think I'd be _spying_ on your _pathetic_ school to get information? Fuck, you're stupid."

And that was it. Momo barrels at the guy, putting all of his weight into the momentum of his punch. But Biker Dude is fast, and somehow manages to get out of the way. I get over the fear that's kept me standing still up to now when I see Biker Dude pull his fist back.

I rush to back Momo up, when I see that he already has his fist drawn back. _I get it, the first punch was a decoy to catch Biker Dude off guard._

If Biker Dude is surprised, he dosen't show it. He just goes through with his punch that catches Momo on the shoulder. But at the same time Momo just smashes into his face, and I can tell that Biker Dude is hurting a whole lot more than Momo.

Both of the guys take a step back from the blows. Momo puts his hands on his hips, and stares Biker Dude down, because he recognizes that he's won. Biker Dude, on the other hand, turns his head slowly back to face Momo and that's when I know this isn't over; his shades are crooked and he's got a nasty mark on his face, but otherwise his look is the same: cold, determined, and ready to spill blood.

I step closer to Momo, 'cause I figure he'll need some help, when I'm reminded that there are actually four people in the room.

"Hey, do you play?" Echizen asks suddenly, nodding to a tennis bag that matched Biker Dude's outfit.

"Sure, kiddo," Biker Dude answers in his creepy weird voice.

Echizen smirked. "You any good?"

"Echizen, you can't play this guy," Momo ordered, "Because he is so mine."

"It's okay, _baby_, there's enough of me to go around," Biker Dude says in a gruff girly voice, sticking out his hip.

Echizen ignores Biker Dude and turns away, saying in his usual monotone yet arrogant voice, "Don't worry, Momo-sempai. I'll win this, no problem."

Momo nods, because he totally believes him. But I saw something different in the seventh grader's eyes than when he normally played, and it looked a lot like anger, with maybe a little fear in there. _So Echizen does have emotions._

"Big words from such a little guy. All right, Seishun sevie, I accept," Biker Dude readjusts his shades, picks up his bag, and takes out a standard issue racquet, which makes me think he might be poor or a really bad player or something.

"I hope you're not a sore loser." Echizen walks onto the nearest court that's still set up, hefting his racquet onto his shoulder.

Following and pointing his racquet at Echizen, he grinned: "Get ready to be pwned."

**

* * *

**

Author's note:  
Rewrote this. Hope it's improved.  
Showed more of BD's mean side. Because that's pretty much who he is. (btw, I know it's weird that Miko is referred to as a he, but it's almost like a completly different person, you know? like Miko is one person and Biker Dude is another and all they have in common is that they share the same body...and some other things.)  
In this version, Arai seems more feminine, don't you think?


	3. Chapter 3: Great balls of fire!

-Chapter 3-

Momo sighed. Ryoma was such an arrogant ochibi. He should have just let him knock that guy's teeth out. On second hand, it would be kinda interesting to see him school Biker Dude on the court.

Looked like Ryoma was gonna start with the serve. With a grin, Momo took a step out of the clubroom.  
Then he was attacked by a flying ball of red fur.

"Rmffftjhmt...!...Eiji-... Eiji! Geroff!" Momo was struggling beneath the hyper accrobatics player who, despite appearances, wasn't all that light (he's still got his baby fat).

"Practice is over! Finally!" Eiji exclaimed, frolicking in the daisies that had magically appeared. "What's the little guy doing?"

"He's playing a match against that guy."

"Eeeeeek! Scaary..." Eiji squealed at the sight of Biker Dude, the daisies at his feet wilting, "Who's he?"

"I dunno. He was really whaling on Arai, so Ryoma challenged him and...um, Eiji-sempai?" Momo craned his neck to look at his sempai, who was clinging to his back like it was a matter of LIFE or DEATH.

"Momo-chan, I think he's looking at me." Eiji whimpered.

It was true. Biker Dude had turned his whole body and was obviously staring at the two Seigaku regulars behind the fence with a death glare, even though you couldn't really tell cuz he was was wearing sunglasses, but you just knew.

Biker Dude must have had supersonic hearing or something, 'cause he walked right up to the fence and growled: "No shit."  
Some of the hapiness was stolen from Eiji's eyes.

Before Momo could say anything to the guy, Ryoma called out from the other side of the court: "Are you ready?"

"Hit me with your best shot, sevie." Biker Dude got back into position.

Momo grinned, _you asked for it._

-_T-wang!_-

"Yay! Twist serve!! Go Echizen!" the freshmen trio cheered.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Ryoma smirked, watching Biker Dude pick up his racquet, getting ready for another Twist.

"So that's the Twist serve. Ii data." Inui remarked, walking up from behind them with Fuji at his side, eyes actually open. He had his notebook and was walking, writing and talking at the same time. Multitasker!

"Fujiko-chan! I thought you left for home already." Eiji latched onto his classmate.

"I forgot my racquet, what a coincidence! I'm glad i get to see another of Echizen's matches." Fuji smiled.

"Even though its kinda one-sided." Momo remarked.

"More one-sided than a teeter-totter!" Eiji exclaimed.

It was true. Biker Dude wasn't even trying to return the services. He was way behind the baseline, the Twist serve wasn't even coming close to him.

"Game Echizen! Visitor to serve!"

"Mada mada dane." Ehcizen mumbled from the other side of the court as Biker Dude grabbed a random ball and lined up for his service.

"Shut it, you mother f--ing biatch. You're the worst kinda player. You think your god's gift to tennis? You do, don't you? You little biatch. I'm gonna destroy you, then I'm gonna make you eat that f--ing ugly hat. Son of a -- stupid little -- holding -- -- hippopotamus -- with -- pencils and -- -- cowboy hat." the stranger spat from his end of the court.

"You kiss your momma with that mouth?" Momo asked

"Nah, just yours."

It was only after Biker Dude served (power serve) and won the point with fast aggressive play that Momo got the burn.

"Hey..." Momo started. But then Biker Dude served again, and he got too into the game to hold a grudge.

"That guy can actually play." one of the freshmen trio voiced everyone's thoughts. Anyone watching the guy for few minutes could tell he wasn't just some casual player.

"Great speed and power, although his style is entirely aggressive forcourt play which leaves many openings. His technique is also quite obvious. In short, if I were playing against him this match would end with an 95 probability of a win for me." Inui scribbled in his notebook.

"Saa, I'm not so sure." Fuji smiled fake modestly.

"I could definitely beat him. All I'd have to do is hit my dunk smash..."

"Ooh, you can hit a dunk smash?" Biker Dude teased, launching himself into the air. "Whoopity frigging doo."

He made it look too easy. As the visitor's feet touched the ground, the crowd whispered a collective "Boom."

And no one heard the sickening pop of his right shoulder.

* * *

**Author's note**

**srry if the swearing's a bit much. Biker dude's just an 'f you' type of person.  
Watcha think of the original crew? Ooc? Yes? No? criticism is welcome, especially if you have some tips for staying true to the characters  
Next chapter: back to Miko POV. brutal reminder that Biker Dude is infact a girl**


	4. Chapter 4: This little piggy

-Chapter 4-

The first thing I thought as I woke up was: _ow. my shoulder.  
_  
The second thing I thought was: _Why the heck is there a tennis racquet in my hand?_

Unfortunately, I said this out loud, which made me very aware of the people around me.

"Tennis is the bestest game in the world!" I heard myself shout out_. At least now I won't get mobbed by the Seigaku tennis team. _

_Seigaku? _I look around and see several shirts with the name Seigaku written on the back. _Where_. _First piece of the puzzle, _I realized with relief, whispering a subconcious thank-you to the amazing friend who taught me this trick:

How-to remember after zoning so as to avoid unpleasant circumstances

-_Where_: Seigaku school  
-_Who_: Miko Saura  
-_What_: Playing tennis  
-_When_: May 12th  
-_Why_: To see my cousin

_O-kay. So I snuck onto Seishun Gakuen's school grounds to spy on my cousin, but instead I zoned and got myself into a match with a sevie, breaking my shoulder.  
_Can you say Oopsies?

"Your serve."

My opponent, the sevie, said impatiently, a challenging smirk on his face.

But, of course, I wasn't looking at his face 'cause he's such a shorty, so my eyelevel was about yay higher than the top of his Fila cap.

A little voice inside my head said: _aaaawwww... He's such a cute little fellow. Yes you are! You're so cute I just wanna play 'this little piggy' with your toes!_

I eye the net separating us, then his feet hopefully.

_Nope, can't make it. _I shake my head sadly.

"Are you forfeiting?" the ref asks me since I have yet to serve, and now I'm shaking my head.

Sensing an escape possibiliy, I declare: "Yes!"

Katsuo: "Wasn't he all fired up about playing a few minutes ago-"  
Kachiro: "-And swearing-"  
Horio: "-And giving everybody mean looks?"  
Freshmen trio chorus: "What a fake!"

"..But, um, I just saved you from the humiliation of losing to me?..." I ventured uncertainly.

Freshmen trio: "And?"

"And you can go to hell, teme?.." I wasn't even talking to my opponent anymore.

"And??"

"Ugh, fine." --attempts to throw a dirty look--

Katsuo: "Satisfactory. You may go."

_  
Finally._ I can't wait to get outta these clothes and fix my shoulder. My personality really doesn't allow me to be mean to people for more than a few minutes. It just dosen't suit me.

Not anymore.

"Hey," the sevie calls for my attention. "What school do you go to?"

_Am I being acknowledged? _I wonder. _What the heck._ I figure, might as well tell the truth.

Turning my back to the team (after throwing the sevie's feet a last wistful look), I pick up my racquet bag and I start to walk away.

Then I hitch a thumb in Seishun's direction.

"WHAAAT?!"

This little piggy ran all the way home.

**Author's note:  
It. Has. Finally. Arrived.  
Chapter 4. Yesssss! Sorry for the wait! Hope ya like it. I know it's short but I'll try to add to it sooon. ****Here's something that didn't really fit into the story.**

Biker Dude: Why the heck is there a tennis racquet in my hand?

Biker Dude: Tennis is the bestest game in the world!

Momo's train of thought: _What? Is this person mentally disturbed? Like, different personalities? Bi-polar? Now, why does that sound familiar?..._

--looks to left, and sees Inui-sempai posing as a diabolical madman scribbling into his Book Of Pain--  
--looks to right, and faces Fuji-sempai's sadistic Smile Of Torture--  
--looks beneath him, and watches as Eiji-sempai clings to his leg in the Clutch of Blood-circulation Loss--

Momo's scary-waily realization: _I'm surrounded by lunatics!!_


	5. Chapter 5: sweatpuppies?

-Chapter 5-

"Is it just me, or is it really hot out?" I murmur to myself.

I watch as a thirsty black lab puppy licks at the sweat pool that's been following me for a while. _Sweaty people : puppies?_

I look back down at the puppy and tell him: "You poor thing."

I seem to be in a busy market place and even though I'm nearly dead after an hour in the sun dressed all in black, I'm kinda enjoying myself. My first day back in Japan, and this is the only place I want to be; a crowded street, bustling with activity. People bumping into to each other left and right. People selling and haggling. Old men laughing. Little (and not-so-little) kids crying.  
And I'm right in the middle of it all.

It feels warm. Like the entire city has gathered to welcome me home.

It feels _alive._

Although I might die of heatstroke at any moment. Hihi.  
_Or this shoulder._ I remind myself as someone bumps into my right side, and I unitentionally cry out.

I still haven't fixed it yet, 'cause the doctor says I just can't use any old wall. So I have to wait to get to the hotel.

I pick up the pace and move to a thinner side of the street, when I face my first obstacle.

Despite myself, I feel my feet slow down as I approach it and am magically drawn in front of the stall.

I drool as the old merchant behind the counter piles scoops of dark chocolate ice cream onto a cone and passes it to a young boy.

_Be strong, Miko. Do not buy an ice cream. Do NOT buy an ice cream!_

"Hello." The kind old merchant smiles at me.

_Do not give in to sales pressure, Miko. Do NOT give in to sales pressure!_

"How are you to-"

"ALRIGHT!! I'LL BUY ONE!"

The old man with very sensitive hearing looked a little afraid as he built my ice cream tower.

* * *

"That was yummy. I don't even remember why I didn't want to buy a cone!" I smacked my lips after taking the last bite of my ice cream and wiping my hands on my hoodie.

Then I froze.

Slowly, fearing for the worst, I examined my clothing. Well, let's just say that if you had steam-washed my clothes you would have enough ice cream to feed several hungry hippos.

"But it comes out in the wash, right? Haha, haha, haaa..." I slumped dejectedly against the hallway wall.  
_  
She is NOT going to be happy. _I thought of my friend who had 'lent' me the badass goth clothes.

I fished the room keycard out of my pocket and was about to slide it through the slot when I heard a noise from inside.

_They're here already! _I thought to myself excitedly.

"I'm home!" I shouted as I barged in, arms thrown up in the air, no worries.  
I think you would call the scene I walked in on _unusual._

Their was a maid curled up in one of the double beds, sighing happily.

_Did I just walk onto the set for a Tide commercial?_

I had barely finished the thought before the maid scurried out of the room and out of sight.

I took a moment to recover. Then...

"Yay! A futon!"

10 minutes later, I had all of my stuff that had been delivered to the room in it's rightful place. I had just started getting undressed when I realized the door was still open.

_I should do this in the bathroom. You can't see the doorway from in there. _Was my clever solution.

As I took my hoodie off to reveal a red t-shirt, I turned away from the mirror like I always do. I wrapped my shoulder in a towel in silence, then positionned myself in front of the tiled wall.  
I took a deep breath, and pressed my shoulder into the wall, rotating my side in a circle, like when you brush your teeth.

I slid down into a crouching position and scratched at the square tiling while I cried. 'Fixing' my shoulder is even more painful than breaking it.

As I got to my feet shakily I heard someone in the other room calling: "Hello?"  
"Hi." I strode into the room to see a middle-aged woman hovering in the doorway.

"I thought I heard something suspiscious. I'm in the room next door."

"Thanks for coming to check on me!" I realized that the woman had a Nagoya accent, which sounded even more foreign than my own rusty Japanese.

"Uh-huh." She pointed at the door. "Ya might wanna close and lock that. Next person who comes by prob'ly won't be as nice as me." The woman then started back to her room.

"But I need it open. Or else the room feels too small."

Like in a cartoon, the woman's head slowly appeared horizontally in the doorway. She looked at my face for a few seconds then took a step in the room with me.

"Are your parents here with ya?"  
"No. That's why it's so lonely."  
"Turn on the TV."  
"That's what I normally do. But it dosen't work."

I must've looked pretty pathetic to this independant lady, 'cause she dialed the desk for me and got them to fix it.

"Sorry for all the trouble. I'm kinda useless." I tell the woman as she's leaving.

"Yep. You certainly are." She tells me bluntly. "But that's to be normal from a girl your age."

She reminds me again to lock the door then heads back to her room.

Before I even sit down to watch some TV, I hear a knock at the door.  
I hurry to open it, but all there is is a brown paper package.

It contains a note and a school uniform.

From my little adventure earlier in the day, I know that Seishun male student's wear a jacket and pants, and the female student's wear a skirt and short-sleeved shirt.

_Skirt and...jacket? Is this a shipping error?_

I unfold the handwritten note.

**Konichiwa Miko!  
****  
Hope you like the special uniform I got you. The school was saying that it should either be one or the other; jacket/pants or shirt/skirt.  
I set 'em straight.  
I figured you'd appreciate the extra fabric to cover your arms.  
As for the skirt...well, you just look much cuter when you show some leg!  
The girls and me should join you in about a week.  
Take care of yourself until then (don't let up on your training!)**

**Sensei  
P.S. Slash says she 'knows you took it and you're gonna pay', whatever that means.**

I smile; this is so like my sensei. I may be alone, but I can feel the bonds with my family strongly present in this letter.  
I hug my new uniform close; now that I'm facing the scariest new part of my life, this little bundle, this scrap of paper, are my light. I feel completly safe.

In fact, I'm so at ease that I fall asleep right there, disregarding the comfy futon and ignoring that I left the TV on.

**Author's note  
I think this is the longest chapter. It's weird cuz yesterday I didn't think I'd get to writing for a while. A lot of free time opens up when you don't do your schoolwork.  
Thx to the readers. Thanks to reviewers. All will be revealed- if I feel like it.  
In case u were wondering, the maid isnt really important. I dont even know why she was in the bed. A mystery...**


	6. Chapter 6: Donguri Korokoro

-Chapter 6-

_Acorn rolling rolling over,  
He suddenly fell into a pond.  
Then came the loaches,  
"Hi boy! Come play with us!"_

It's the next morning. 4 am. I'm staring at the taupe walls of my hotel room.

And I Can't. Fall. Asleep. The airplane ride and the midday nap have messed up my internal clocks.

_"Is that a blood stain?" _I frown at the opposite wall. _"No. It can't be."_ I reason with myself, but the seed has been planted. There's no way I'm getting any more sleep.

Sigh. _"Might as well keep trying."_ I persist. I continue with the lullaby:

_Acorn rolling rolling with joy,  
But he soon began to cry,  
"I want to go back to the mountain."  
The loaches didn't know what to do._


	7. Chapter 7: Squeaky Snakes

-Chapter 7-

I lean against the last checkpoint before I have to head for school. I check my pulse.

_"120,"_ I scold myself; _"Too fast." _

I'm training for the inter-ranking matches, building up my stamina. My signature technique, the 'Snake', forces my opponent to run out of stamina, so I need to be able to keep pushing him for long periods of time.

I start walking to school. I have a test today. I studied pretty late, but I'm still nervous. At times like these I get stomach aches, migraines, and general twitchiness.

I scratch my back, and when I take my hand away it's bloody.

I try to wipe it off on my jeans so that no one notices. There aren't that many people in the park so early in the morning anyway.

"_Damn it_," I think, "_what if it shows through my shirt during practice? I'm sure stupid Momoshiro would laugh at me for having zits._"

I was thinking curses when I heard a noise in the bushes. I jumped back and accidentally let out a high-pitched squeak.

"_What the hell was that? Snakes don't squeak, they hiss_."

"Not that I'm a snake," I said out loud, realising how stupid I sounded only _after _I said it.

"Why would you be a snake?" a kid in shorts and a jacket walked out of the bushes. Well, he more sort of fell out of them.

I was totally cool about it. "Fsss_sssh_hh!" I hissed.

"That's pretty good, but you have to use your tongue more. Like this: F_ssss_sssshhhh!" the kid wriggled his tongue at me, then picked himself and his bag off the ground. He ruffled his spiky hair and yelled, "Yes! I am the **number one** snake sound-maker ever, I know."

This kid reminded me of a very irratating guy, and it didn't help that I was blushing embarassedly. So I kept walking down the trail.

"Hey, don't be a sore loser! Wait for me!" the kid ran up beside me.

"Fssssh."

"I thought we already went over this, Snake-man. I am **number one**. You will never defeat me!" The kid proved his point with a very long, tongue-wriggling hiss.

"_I could run away._" I thought, but then immediately decided it was ridiculous. If I just ignored him, maybe he would go away.

The kid was quiet for a while, so I was thinking about my test and getting really anxious.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore! What are you, a rock?! Say something!" the kid exploded and pointed an accusing finger at me.

I was about to hiss back, when I remembered it wasn't safe, so I just didn't say anything. "_It's not my job to entertain him anyways_," I thought to myself, "_If he dosen't want to hang around me, that's his choice_."

"Hey, look! I'm walkin' backwards!"

"You look like a moron."

The kid turned around and walked normally. I felt kinda bad. "_He probably dosen't have any friends, since he's talking to me_," I admitted to myself grudgingly.

"What school do you go to?" I asked him in my friendliest voice.

He grinned and told me.

"Cool," I answered.

For the next half hour I was bombarded with Ikuto Yagami's life story, including the part about the deadly disease he got when he was six, and the part about his horse Fuma who ate out of his hand, and the part about all of his friends (he actually had some) and the crazy stuff they did.

I kinda liked talking to him. But then I felt kinda pathetic; I mean, the only people who'll hang out with me are elementary students? Pedophiles can do better than that.

Not that I'm a pedophile.

Bottom line is: I felt happy. And pathetic. But I sure wasn't stressing over my test.

**Author's note  
What's up everybody? Been a while since I updated, but after reading some really good stories and re-reading my own, I got all fired up!  
****Yeah, this was a Kaidoh narration, in case it isn't clear. So he's going to be an important character. Maybe.  
Please Review guys and girls! Cuz reviews make me smile happily. B)  
Here's something that (again) didn't go with the story's flow**

"I thought we already went over this, Snake-man. I am **number one**. You will never defeat me!" The kid proved his point with a very long, tongue-wriggling hiss...

A lot of things could change with a single misplaced letter. Let's say, swapping the 'H' in "hiss" with a 'K'.

The kid proved his point with a very long, tongue-wriggling kiss...

**But then, that would be an entirely different story! Hahaha**


	8. Chapter 8: Shake it like a polaroid pic

-Chapter 8-

I crack open my breakfast smoothie and take a big swig. Yes! Strawberry Kiwi! The most awesome, gorgeous, psychedelic, and not to mention yummy flavour!

This is definately a sign that my first day at Seigaku is going to be fruitfully scrumdidillyumptious.

I wear my jacket and skirt with a cute lime green headband, and paint my eyes to match.

_I wonder if people will think it's weird that I'm wearing a combination of the girls' and guys' uniform? Will they think that I'm sexually confused? Or retarded? Or something else equally traumatizing??_

_Well, _I try to reassure myself, _if people treat me as a social reject, I could always bully them emotionally. I know I'm good at it, at least._

"And that's the attitude that will earn me so many friends, huh? C'mon; think positive!" I put another meal supplement in my backpack, and leave the room with a grin.

This could be the start of something new, after all.

Or else I'm suing Disney.

* * *

"So how do you like class so far, Saura-san?" one of the girls in my class asks me as she and her friends lead me to the cafeteria.

"I like it! The people are really funny, and Jiine-sensei is so serious, it's hard not to laugh!" I make a disapproving face and say: "Close your mouth and open your brain!" in a pretty good imitation of my teacher.

"Hahaha! And can you believe, the other day he..."

"No way!"

"Ah, he's so scary!"

_This is so much fun! _The people here are really easy to talk to, and there aren't any mean girls or cliques (except for the fanclubs, if that counts). I'm even getting used to people using my last name again.

We get to the cafeteria, which is pretty crowded, mostly because the tables are all super close to each other. The space that's left is filled by people just standing around talking and the others lining up for lunch.

I follow the group from my class and join the lunch line, even though I'm not going to be buying anything.

"Oh, sorry," I say meekly as I awkwardly jab the person in front of me, who's about two feet taller than me.

When he turns around, I recognize the thick glasses and notebook; it's a guy from yesterday's tennis match!

"Uh..." I mutter, sweating under the glare of his lenses. _Does he remember?_

"You are 80% forgiven," he states.

_Nope_, I sigh in relief. "What about the other 20%?"

"My back hurts," he responds simply.

_Is this him being funny? _I wonder. I laugh eitherway.

He starts scribbling in his notebook, muttering something, and I get the impression he's writing about me, for some reason.

Then I notice who's standing in front of him.

As I turn away my skirt swishes around my legs. "Um, guys, I'm going to go eat in class, okay? I'll see you later," I tell my classmates quickly.

Then I hightail it out of there.

* * *

_Who would've thought my cousin would be 2 places in front of me in line..._ I think after my close call.

One thing's for sure: the cafeteria isn't safe anymore. Guess I'll have to eat in class from now on...

_Where_ is _the classroom, anyway?_

Somehow, I have ended up outside. It's nice out here, a lot less crowded, but how am I supposed to get back to class?

_Oh, well_. I'll worry about that later. For now, I'll eat/drink my lunch.

I lower myself to sit on the ground and shake my meal in it's plastic container. I crack it open, and take a small sip.

_Chocolate flavoured. Sweet._

Little did I know that there was something lurking in the grass.

* * *

**Author's note:  
Yop. Sorry this is so short, it's cuz I actually lost the original document for this chapter. And I completly redid it. It's very different.  
I have a teacher who tells us "Close your mouth and open your brain" Its hilarious. But he's cool.  
Can anyone guess who the cousin is?  
SVP review. I never used to do it, until I started writing my own story, and realized how much i love reviews. 3**


	9. Chapter 9: A Pirate's Life for Miko!

-Chapter 9-

"Hey-yay, life is so sweet! All I want to do is put up my feet! Hey-yay, life is so sweet..."

First day at Seigaku, and I'm already singing! I take another swig of my chocolate-flavoured drink and switch songs.

"Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me!" I raise my voice a little and use a gruffer accent, "We're rascals and scoundrels and villains and knaves! Drink up, me 'hearties yo ho!"

I swing my arms like a swashbucklin' pirate, feeling my drink slosh around in its cup.

"We're dev..." I notice that there's a guy staring at me, and my voice trails off.

...

"Hehehe, wonderful day to be a pirate, right?" I make a noble attempt at a joke, but this comedian's getting no laughs from the crowd.

...

*criquet, criquet*

..._Is he going to say anything?_

A tumbleweed rolls by.

..._Am I supposed to say something?_

Awkward silence.

...

"Fsh," he finally says, and I'm so desperate to recover at this point that I burst out laughing. Which I do not think was the right thing to do.

"Fshhh, rude," he mutters and goes to sit on a patch of grass farther away from me.

Rude? I start to feel my blood boil.

_Who was he to call me rude? "_It's my first day!" _I feel like screaming at him. Does he realize how hard it is to come back after so many years and have to learn everything over again?! That I'm practically getting by all by myself?! He's the rude one! What's with this 'fshhh' stuff? Why does he seem to think he's better than me?! And why, WHY, why do I want him to be sitting next to me more than anything?!_

_"I'm going to walk right over there and give him a piece of my mind!"_ I tell myself furiously, my hands just itching to pour the rest of my yogourt on top of his flashy bandanna.

But I don't get up.

_"I swear, I'm going to make him soooo sorry for messing with me... He'll feel so guilty, he's going to be groveling at my feet for forgiveness!" _I picture him shining my shoes with his weirdo headgear and offering to give me a tour of the school and help me with homework.

And yet, something still holds me back.

"**You're not even going to go through with it, so what are you getting so mad about**?"

The clear familiar voice in my head cuts through me like glass, and although I know I was just imagining it, I still search for her close to me.  
"_She's not here_," the words bounce around in my empty head, "_No one's here_." Just me, bandanna boy, and my memories.

"**Ya, sticks and stones can smash some bones, but words are pretty useless**."

I smile a little, thinking how funny it is that whatever S says is never helpful at the time, but always good and smart-sounding later.

"**I'm going to have to agree with the idiot on this one. Ouch! Well, I guess the truth does hurt. Hahaaha! 'Cmon cheerie, no more pouty lips! Let's smile like mice**!"

My small smile erupts into a waterfall of giggles, sparkles and hiccups. What can I say? My family makes me a better person, even when they're far away.

"_Ya, I guess I don't have to get him with hits or curses...I'll get him with honey!"_ And with that, and a devilish grin, I pick myself off the ground (very proper and graceful; not at all like a rude person would), and carry myself and my yogourt over to b-boy's patch of grass.

**

* * *

**

Author's note:  
Added to this chapter, cuz it really was too short. I will try to add chapter 10 soon, so please review to remind me!  
Btw, any ideas on where this is going so far? ...that would make one of us :)


	10. Chapter 10: The Rudest of Them All

-Chapter 10-

"Itadakimasu," I say quietly before opening my bento with both hands, careful not to touch the well-presented food inside.

I pretend not to notice the crazy person sitting behind me who's giving me dirty looks.

I reach for the salmon first, because it's my least favourite and I like ending my meal with a good taste in my mouth.

Of course, the meal isn't _bad_. Mother is amazing at making bentos, and works very hard to prepare them for my brother and me. It's the salmon's fault. It smells bad. I have never liked salmon in my whole life. But I eat it. Because that's what I have to do.

I drop my salmon in surprise when I hear a burst of giggles behind me. It's that girl again. The new girl who just joined my class. Who wears a boy's jacket, slurps yogourt and sings by herself.

_I wonder what's so funny?_ I ask myself as I turn to look at her and find that she is in fact laughing to herself.

_Huh, she's leaving. Apparently she's had enough fun laughing at/to/by herself. _I watch her get up strangely slowly. Then, she starts walking my way. _Oh no. Please don't come yell at me... please don't come yell at me... please come at me... please come at me? What am I saying?! Fshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!_

I avert my gaze and focus on my umeboshi, the best piece in the entire bento.

_I prefer viewing the weird ones from afar. A safe distance. Minimum 5 feet. _She's right behind me now; I can hear her feet breaking the surface of the grass. _She's getting too close._

I suddenly get a very frightening image of her kicking me in the head from behind, which feels so real, like a glimpse into the future, that I bring my hands up to protect myself. When the kick dosen't come, and I can hear her stop close to me, I hide my movement by tightening my bandanna and turn to face her.

I expect a tsunami to slam into me.

I expect a dark cloud to be hanging above me.

I expect a fire to scorch me.

I do not expect a monkey to be eating papayas. Nor do I expect a kind smile, humble bow, and sincere "Hajimemashite!" which is what I get.

A little bit shocked, I return with a slight bow and greeting.

"I'm sorry for being so rude before. May I sit and eat lunch with you?"

"Without knowing your name?" I point out her obvious mistake on impulse, which I hope she won't call me on 'cause it's even more rude.

"Oh, sorry again! Um...Miko-I mean, my name is Saura Miko," she says slightly awkwardly.

"My name is Kaidoh Kaoru. I believe we are in the same class."

"We are?!" I am slightly annoyed that she does not remember me.

"Yes."

"Then, please treat me kindly and I hope that we can be good friends!"

"Yes."

"So, um... may I sit?"

I think it over a moment, which is apparently too long for her because she adds a squeaky "Please??" at the end.

_Might as well... _"Yes."

She smiles and PLOPS down beside me.

"Whoa..." she stares at my bento, "That looks delicious."

"Thank you."

"Did you make it?"

_Did I...What kind of a question is that? _"No."

"Did your girlfriend make it?"

"N-no. My...Mother made it for me."

"Well, it is one tasty-looking lunch, if I do say so myself," she says and smiles like she deserves a reward for being good.

"Do you want a reward for being good?" I accidently say. _Damn, I shouldn't have said that; I can't be more rude than her._

"Okay, how about the umeboshi?"

_Yes, I knew it; there's no way I could be more impolite than her. _"No."

"But you offered-"

"No."

"Even though it's my favourite?"

"It's my favourite too!" I find myself yelling for some reason. "It has the best texture and spice, and there's no way I'll let you have it, so stop asking!"

"Oh."

I immediately wish I hadn't yelled. _And I'm officially being ruder than her. Maybe I should give her the ume as an apology?_

"I'm sorry," I say softly, very aware of the wide space between us now.

"No, I understand," she looks at me with a serious face, which looks slightly familiar some how. "You want to enjoy your favourite part of the meal. I'll enjoy my yummy shake. Friends don't steal other friends' favourites."

It sounds a little bit like a threat. "Y-yes."

"Then let's eat!" She smiles happily and slurps her yogourt.

I feel okay about not giving her the umeboshi now. I pick up my chopsticks and look for that slice of salmon.

"Um...Kaidoh-san?"

"Yes?"

"Friends also tell friends when they have food stuck between their teeth, right? Well...you..."

I reach up to cover my mouth.

"You don't have food stuck between your teeth, but..."

"What is it?"

"You...have salmon on your pants."

It is only at this point that I realize that it's been sitting there during all of our encounter.

Yes, I am _definately_ the rudest.

But she's still slurping her yogourt, so we'll call it even. And, really, who's counting?

****

Author's Note  
That's embarassing...I got to show off my mad japanese skills in this one. (Go me!) Yeah sorry for butchering the language if I did.  
Hm, I wonder who Miko reminds him of...? (Totally not slick, but I'm trying to start a review topic here. Please help me out!)  
Listen people, if I hit 10 reviews, not only will I be really happy, I will also do something crazy in the next chapter!!  
Can you tell? I really want reviews. ;)


	11. Chapter 11: Meet The Emoticons

-Chapter 11-

I shield my eyes with my hand as I gaze across the grounds of Seigaku's entrance, which is more of an exit right now since school's out.

"Saura-san?"

"Hum." I focus onto one of the girls in my class, whose name I struggle to remember.

"What club do you think you'll join, Saura-san?" a short girl with long hair (was her name Sachiko?) asks in a tone that tells me they were talking about this for a while before I tuned in.

This was a good question. I should join the tennis team to keep up with my training, but since they practice right next to the boys' team, I might see my cousin, and I didn't want him to see me quite yet. Which also meant that I couldn't join any club the tennis club or any other of his clubs might work with. _It would help if I knew his schedule a little better...but that's the thing with estranged cousins, isn't it?_

"Hm, I'm not sure...Do you have any advice?"

"Join the hip-hop club! It's soooo much fun! I learnt so many great moves-" Sachiko says.

"Do you like baseball? Our team's really well known, but it's OK if you're not that good, I could help you practice," Noda-chan jumps in with all the gusto of a pushy salesman.

"Oh, that sounds really cool," I say non-commitedly because_, _not to diss their clubs or anything, but hip-hop and baseball are not my thing.

"Which one? Hip-hop or baseball?" Noda-chan demands.

"Both. But, you know, I was hoping to go for something less sporty..."

"Like, math?"

"Hahaha! Urg, no way! That would be torture!" I joke and think_, And he used to tutor for that club so, definately not!_

"It's too bad though, it'd be cool to be in the same club..." Sachiko(?) sighs.

"Oh, yea-"

"Noda-chan, we have to go," one of my other friends, who's also in the baseball club apparently, says without emotion.

This is the signal to leave, as everybody says goodbye and breaks off from the group to go to their club.

"I hope you like our school," the girl whose name I can't remember says with a smile, and leaves before I have the chance to think of it. _Which is too bad, since she seems like the friendliest of the bunch._

So I end up alone at the bottom of the staircase of Seishun Gakuen. There's barely anybody around anymore; they've either gone home or to their club. And I stand there like a doofus, wishing to God I was in a club.

I trudge back to the hotel.

I check my voicemail, in case someone's called me between now and 40 minutes ago.

_No messages. _

I lay down on my bed and will myself to go to sleep, but I can't. My body is tired, but my head's in a swirl that keeps me awake, but not quite at full energy.

I angrily take off my cute green headband (which no one noticed), but I'm too tired to even smash it decently against the wall, and instead toss it so it lands nicely on top of the dresser.

"Dammit! Why can't I do anything right?!" I blurt out suddenly, causing spit to spout from my mouth and drip onto my bed.

It's such a pitiful situation, I laugh. Not for very long or too chirpily, but enough so that I can think a little less negatively.

_My first day of school back in Japan, huh,_ I think to myself as I lazily press the back of my hand against my forehead.

Academically, it's going to be a challenge. I might need to get a tutor. _Greeeeat, another person to lecture me and tell me I'm stupid. _

_It would be a lot easier if everyone was here, then Cassie could help me in school and Bella could help me make friends and Slash could help me with tennis_. Makes you wonder if I can do anything on my own._ At least they'll be here soon_, I tell myself, remembering the letter I got from Sensei.

I mentally force myself to think positive things, which is supposed to make you live longer.

_:) :) :) I already seem to be making friends, so maybe it's not as hard as I thought? :) :) :)_

_:) :) :) Although it would help if I could remember their names. :( :( :(_

_:) :) :) But I do remember Kaidoh-san, so maybe there's luck for me yet? :) :) :)_

_:) :) :) Although I get the feeling that I might have slightly insulted him. :( :( :(_

_:) :) :) But he said I can eat with him tomorrow, so maybe it'll work out? :) :) :)_

_:) Hehe. Ya. Maybe it'll work out._

_:) :) :) :) YEAH!! I'll end up being the nicest girl at school, and who needs to remember people's names' when they all know yours and worship you!!! MuahAHAHAHAH!!!!!! X] XD X,D X]_

_And that is called having an overly-high opinion of yourself. :3_

I eventually fall asleep like a doofus, on top of the covers and fully dressed, but I find sleep peacefully.

* * *

**Author's note:  
Chappie's not dreadfully exciting, but important all the same. (plus, lots of emoticons!)  
I wanted to update while I still had the chance. Going camping for two weeks so hasta la vista everybody.  
R&R let me know what you like and dislike so far**


	12. Chapter 12: Remember Rice Crispies

-Chapter 12-

_I'm on the plane to Japan when I see Seigaku outside my window. I ask my family to come with me but they're not allowed to leave because someone found pot in their bags so they think they're drug dealers. _

_I say, "I'll be back soon." Then I jump out of the plane. There's a lot of wind but it doesn't faze me, I just steer myself towards the school while a posse of fluffy white and blue birds float around me. _

_I drift softly onto the tennis courts. There's a big crowd standing with their feet planted firmly on the ground, and none of them saw me flying. I spot my cousin, or who I think looks like my cousin, but I lose him in the crowd. _

_I start crying. Then, the entire crowd lifts their feet, and water starts shooting up from the ground. "You were blocking the leaks with your feet," I tell one of the people there, which just makes me start crying again._

_Water gathers at my feet, and the students start running away towards the roof of the school. My tears won't stop, and the water's reached my knees now. _

_The sky darkens from a soft blue to a loud rumbling dark grey. I can't see the plane anymore, but I wonder if my family's able to see me._

_I feel my body lifting off the ground, like when I was flying, except I'm floating in the water and it's pushing me left and right and my head goes under for the first time._

_I kick madly and come up for air; the water's climbing halfway up the school's wall now, and I can see the people on the roof watching me. I wonder if my cousin's watching me._

_I get pulled under again and, as my head pops back out of the water, I scream, "Help me!" I can feel the students murmuring about me, but I can't hear anything. Then, the water grabs my head and flips me back into it's depths as I hold my breath._

_Underwater, I can hear a mix of all the people's voices clearly and I hear one voice say, "Someone should go in to try and help her." Then another says, "If we go in, we'll just drown too." And suddenly all the voices stop._

_The silence is the loudest of all. It pounds against my eardrums like the water pressing against my body._

_I gasp for air when I can't hold my breath any longer, and water fills my lungs, and it feels like my brain too. I desperately try to push and claw myself out of the water, but my body is slow and feels like jelly._

_I open my mouth again to scream as I'm dragged to the bottom..._

I wake up slowly from the dream and I feel woozy, like my head's still waterlogged. And my mouth is pasty and I'm extremely thirsty, but I feel too tired to get up. So I prop myself up against the pillows in a sitting position and look around the rented room.

The bedside alarm clock says 4:00AM in it's blaringly arrogant red light way. Why couldn't they invent an alarm clock with a nice warm light that says "Good morning, sweetheart. It says 9:00AM here, but why don't you take a good 15 minutes before getting up to make sure you're all rested up?" With a nicer colour, like baby blue.

_Blue. Like the ocean_, I think and then groan unhappily as I remember some of my dream.

_Why am I always having drowning dreams? It's not like I ever had a bad experience in water, right? And I only saw the ocean once anyway, and I thought it was really pretty. Why can't I have cool dreams that actually make sense, like flashback dreams._

_What was happening in my dream anyways?_

I think hard about it, but my memory's foggy and all I can remember is that it had something to do with flying and drowning and Seigaku and pot. For some reason I distinctly remember my family getting caught with pot in their bags.

_Well, maybe that _was_ a sort of flashback, _I think with a smile dancing against my cheeks.

-----------------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------------------------  
_(Two years ago)_

I'm pretending to read in my room, but I'm actually really bored. No one's home, so it's just me, all alone in Sensei's chic condo, in the room I share with Slash, with my plush parrot on my shoulder.

It's been only a month since I first starting living with Slash, Cassie, Bella, and Sensei. We moved here, to California, two weeks ago, and I got put in a room with Slash, which she despises, but that I kind of enjoy since I never met someone so easy to annoy before.

I stare blankly at the pages of my book some more, then finally abandon it on my bed.

I'm careful not to make a sound as I tiptoe across the Half-and-Half line that Slash made in duct tape to divide our rooms.

I move across the living, breathing mess that is Slash's room to her dresser, so that I can look for some clothes to borrow.

I shift the things in her bottom drawer slowly, so that she won't notice they've been moved, and I see a cool blue sweater that Slash probably outgrew. I take it out and realize with pleasure that it's my size.

I'm about to try it on when I notice that the sleeve is oddly bumpy. I shake it and a small baggie falls out.

_Huh?_ I pick it up and open it automatically, which could have been pretty dangerous with one of Slash's things. But all I find inside is a bunch of dried-up leaves.

It smells weird, so I think it might be a spice, but why would Slash have a bag of spices hidden in her sweater?

I figure I'll eat some to check if it's a spice, even though I don't like the idea, when I see a small white pack tucked into the side. I pull it out and find a word I can read in English: cigarette.

------------Seven Hours Later-----------------

**Slash POV**

"Here," I dump my dirty plate on top of Bella's, "I made sure to put lots of sauce on my lasagna," I say with an evil grin as I pile my glass on top. "Have fun with Hell's Kitchen Duty, Anna_belle._"

"Miko's doing it tonight," she answers back darkly, scrunching up her face.

"No." I challenge her bravely. I _knew_ it was her turn. I had flawlessly planned my revenge for the time she'd dirtied three glasses. "You're lying! It's _your_ turn-"

"Miko is going to do it tonight. Bella will take her next shift," Coach confirmed it, ending the conversation.

Miko looked slightly confused as she took the dishes piled high with orts from Bella and walked down the hall to the kitchen.

_It dosen't make sense though. Why would she trade with Miko?_

You could hear the water filling the sink and the jangling of cutlery being moved around.

I started going to my room, when Coach called me back.

"Sit."

"I'm not a dog..." I grumbled, but sat down anyway.

I suddenly got this chill down my spine looking at Coach, Bella, and Cassandra surrounding me that made me feel like hiding. Instead, I slouched further into my chair and plastered a bored expression to my face.

"What?"

Coach looked at me with dangerous eyes, but I didn't break the stare. "Do you have something you want to tell us?"

I hate that question. "Yeah. You're acting weird."

"Is there something you've been hiding from us?" Coach continued.

"What is this, an interrogation?" I objected, but shut up seeing the steely cold look in her eyes.

"I won't tolerate you lying to me, Slash, do you hear? You can play rebellious teenager all you want, but I. Will. Not. Tolerate. Lies."

"I'm not lying!" I stand up and yell, letting my anger out.

Coach never takes her eyes off of me, trying to see through me, but she can't.

Then Bella throws a bag onto the table, and I'm shocked to realize that it's mine.

Coach sees my reaction and she knows she has me. And she knows I know. And I can see that she thinks she's won already.

"Who the hell was looking through my stuff?!" I ask, and then I know. _That little brat was in my room all day today, wasn't she? Just snoopin' around on_ my _side. Touching_ my_ stuff. Tattletalin' on_ me.

"MIKOOO!!" I yell, totally pissed. _I'm going to get you for this!_

Bella puts herself between me and the kitchen. Wrong place. "Get out of my way, you stupid b-"

She grabs a blanket, throws it on me, and, before I have time to react, she pushes me back onto the couch and sits on my abdomen.

"Geroff of me, youfat-rass," I manage while trying to throw her off.

"On se calme les nerfs sinon je les sévère," she threatens in a sing-song voice. "This has nothing to do with Miko. This is about you having a problem." She gets off of me and sits down beside me as I struggle out of the blanket.

"I don't have a problem," I mutter under my breath.

"What was that?" Coach asks me.

"I don't have a problem!" I jump off the couch, "I've only been smoking for a couple of weeks. So what? It's not like I'm a junkie doing meth or anything. Just a few joints a day to calm down. It's not even cigarettes, okay?"

"Have you thought about how it can affect your game?"

"It doesn't do a fucking thing to my tennis, all right?! I'm still playing the same game I always was-"

"Exactly," Cassandra puts in. "You're not getting any better though, are you?"

"S-Shut the fuck up!! I could kick your ass any day of the week! You don't even know how strong I am, all right?! But I am _definately _stronger than you, so don't even talk."

"Slash. Listen to me," Coach implores me so I turn to her. "I can't let ya do this kind of stuff. I'm responsible for you and-"

"That's a fucking joke! You can't tell me what to do!" I explode.

"Yeah, I can. Legally, I'm-"

"You're my guardian?! Well, I have news for you: it doesn't mean a fuckin' thing!" I can't stand it. I can't stand it.

"Don't talk to me like that!" I get a little anger out of Coach, which satisfies me a bit, but I want more.

"NO!!" I yell at the top of my lungs. "See?!! You can't do ANYTHING!"

"Slash..." Bella tries to stop me softly, but I can't stop. I'm going over.

"This!" I point to Cassandra, who looks unfazed. "This is the only person in the whole fuckin' room who's really 'family' and I don't even like her! We," I point to me and Bella, "Are not 'family'. We," I point to me and Coach, my anger boiling white hot, "Are NOT FAMILY!!"

I breathe roughly._ Don't have anything to say to that, do you? _I think as I watch Coach. _You know it's true. _She looks away from me, probably to hide her anger, or disgust.

That's when I notice the water's not running in the kitchen anymore. And I know why everyone's looking behind me.

"Hey, Miko," I say lightheartedly to Miko, like it's all a big joke. _Which it is,_ "What's up? Want to join in on our happy family's meeting about how I'm a horrible child? Hahaha." I laugh riotuously, but I'm not getting any joy from it.

My laugh dies down since no one else says anything. Miko looks furious.

Then, Miko says, without hiding her contempt, "I'm glad we're not family. You're not a good person _or_ sister. You're just _weak_."

"Wha..." I can't believe I'm hearing this, especially coming from Miko.  
My anger comes back to the surface, and my voice gets louder and louder, "What the hell?!! What's your FUCKING PROBLEM, YOU SPOILED LITTLE BRAT-"

The glass Miko was holding comes hurtling at me, and shatters into millions of sharp shards on the carpet behind me. She glares and says, "Fuck off."

I grab her hair and pull to force her to look into my eyes. "Shut up," I growl, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Slash!"

Miko kicks me hard below the knee. I don't let go, but tug harder on her hair. She whimpers a little and kicks me over and over.

I don't care if it hurts. Well, that's not true, I do care, so I focus all my pain into hurting her worse.

I bring my fist back and slam it into her face. Someone's nails are scratching me. I can taste blood. I bring my fist back again.

Everybody's yelling. Someone's shrieking. I was saying something too, I couldn't understand it myself. My legs feel broken, my face feels hot, I'm sweating and crying, my breath's coming in short painful bursts...

Then it feels like all the air's been cut out from me. Something's on top of me, I'm lying on the glass-strewn carpet, and it hurts.

I'm winded and can't fight off my attacker, so I grab for something and my hand finds something heavy, I swing my arm and it connects with the person.

I get back up, ready for more. I lash out with my fists. Who am I fighting? I don't know. I can't tell. Everything's just a blur of movement and pain and noises.

I try to deliver a roundhouse, but the person dodges and trips up my feet. I don't have time to bring up my hands to protect my face, so I brace myself for the fall. Then everything goes black.

And there is nothing.

------------------The Morning After-------------------  
**Miko POV**

The clock on the wall is ticking by slowly. It says 5h42AM. The sun's coming up and lets a few of its rays sneak into the kitchen through the windows. The air is still cool from the night, but it'll get stuffy pretty soon.

The whole world seems to be quietly at peace. Which is a stark contrast with last night's hellish fight.

She's sitting at the small linoleum breakfast table with her back to the wall and her face towards the sunshine. Her face is also a stark contrast between her beautiful golden blond hair and her wounds, fresh from last night and probably still sore.

"Hi," I say shyly as I walk carefully into the room, like it might shatter beneath my feet.

Bella smiles and chants a happy, "Good morning," back at me.

I sit down across from her, but to the side, so I don't block out the sun.

"Hungry?" She offers, motioning towards the Rice Crispies box on the table, as she scoops some out of her own bowl.

"No," I say slightly rudely, "I'm not interested breakfast foods."

We sit silently for a while, while she polishes off her bowl, and then_ pours herself another one_! I can't believe how much food I've seen this girl eat.

"So," Bella grins at me, unaware there's a rice crispie stuck to her lip, "Was last night crazy or what?" She then laughs raucously for a minute, like she just told a really funny joke.

I'm not sure what to say, so I just nod.

She remembers I'm still new to mainstream English and talks more clearly, "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

She frowns a bit, which looks funny with the rice crispie still there. "I'm really sorry about what happened. That was the biggest fight we've had in a long time."

"Are you okay?" I ask her, since she did help me when Slash was beating me up.

She smiles. "Yeah, just a little achy-breaky-hearted." I have no idea what she said, but I look at the bandage covering the nasty cut on her forehead, and I'm not sure she is okay.

She notices where I'm looking, "Oh, this?" She presses the bandage, and I recoil internally, "This is when Slash hit me with the 2006 Guiness Book of World Records. So, it looks worse than it really is. What about you?"

Slash had punched me in the mouth. "Okay," I answered. And it was. The swelling went down overnight and I had just a little cut on my lip. All that really hurt now were my feet (because I kicked so much) and my pride.

"Yeah, I think Slash came out looking the worse for wear, all black'n'blue and scratched up," Bella stops to think, "Her or the carpet."

"The carpet?"

"Oh, yeah, baby. We're going to have to bring in a special vacuum cleaner to get that puppy back into shape. Not possible for a human to pick up all those tiny pieces of glass."

There was a short silence while Bella ate.

"W-Why-"

"I don't think... Oh, what were you saying?"

"Why did Slash do and say those things?" I say with difficulty.

"Hhfff...Well, she's got a problem with authority figures, for one," Bella smiled jokingly, "And, I guess she was having a hard time dealing with what we were telling her."

"Smoking is dumb," I tell her.

"Really?" She looks amused, "But Slash isn't very dumb. I mean, sure, she has her moments..."

"Slash is weak," I announce assuredly. "She does and says stupid things because she is weak."

"Whoa!" Bella fakes surprise, "You got quite the attitude, eh chérie? I think you're still just mad about yesterday though, right?"

"No, I-"

"I'll tell you something really special, okay?" She leans in close, and I can't help but stare at the rice crispie, "But don't tell Slash I told you this, 'cause it's kind of her best-kept secret." Bella whispers into my ear, "Slash... is really strong."

I start to disagree but she shushes me and ushers me to keep listening.

"I mean it," She has a very serious expression so I believe she does. "Slash is just about the strongest person I've ever met, much stronger than I am."

I can't help but add, "But you beat her yesterday. You overpowered-"

She shakes her head, "I don't mean physical force. I'm talking mental stuff here. Slash," Bella pauses and thinks for a second, "Slash has been through a lot. But I have never seen her admit defeat, or decide to take the easy way out at someone else's expense. And yeah, sometimes she gets tempermental, but she's also a really loyal friend, a great person, and someone I would be _proud_ to call my sister."

I realize Bella is talking about me and what I said to Slash. "It wasn't my fault! Slash was being mean to everyone. I didn't...I didn't like what she said."

"About us not being a family? Why?" I don't know what to answer, "... Because you wanted to say it first?" I'm shocked. I don't want to admit it, but Bella's right.

With a knowing smile, she wraps her arm around me and gives me a friendly hug.

I'm not used to being hugged so kindly by someone who I've known for so short a time. I don't hate it completly, but I'm sure it must be awkward so I get up and move away from the table.

Bella dosen't seem offended and adds happily, "Well, one day you might enjoy being a family with us. But no rush!" She laughs and keeps laughing even as I walked out of the kitchen.

_I feel like I'm forgetting something. _I think to myself and try to remember. _Oh!_ I realize dejectedly. _I forgot to tell her to take off the rice crispie._

------------------------------------------------End of Flashback---------------------------------------------

_Ah, good times, good times. _I laugh out loud at how different my family and I are now compared to then.

_You were right, Bella. :) You always are._

"Well, enough daydreaming! Time to go to school. Day 2 at Seigaku!" I cheer, hoping to convince myself to get out of bed.

I roll over onto my stomach. _Why does the pillow feel wet?_

I get up and I see The Lake.

"Urg...Jeez, no wonder I have all these drowning dreams, " I say exasperatedly as I throw the pillow with my drool on it on the floor.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
Longest Chappy So Far =D Yay!  
****Sorry it took a whiles to update. Hope ya'll enjoy the flashback. And the fight scene. And the reference to pot (pot= P.o.T. -- totally accidental, but sick right?)  
Review please and thank you.  
And thanks to everybody who added this story to their Story Alert. Glad to know you're still with me. :)**


	13. Chapter 13: Dragonflies and Graveyards

-Chapter 13-

Something winged flew at me.

The sudden fluttering sensation on my arm startled me. I jumped and moved back on instinct.

There was a red dragonfly on my arm, near my elbow. I fought back the momentary "Get off me!" reaction and instead, slowly, brought it up to my face to see it closer.

It had gigantic glassy eyes, frail wings traced with thin lines, and a spiked tail that moved rythmically, in and out, like it... _it was breathing! Through its tail! Holy smoke, that is so cool!!_

I watched it intensely for a few minutes, not wanting to miss any amazing things it might do before flying off.

When I realized it was lookin' mighty comfy on my arm and wasn't going to leave any time soon, I glanced around at my surroundings. I didn't see any other dragonflies, though. No other people either, this early in the morning on the less taken forest path.

"Where did you come from?" I softly nudged the creature's small crimson body; it moved a bit, but its hairy spiked legs reattached to my skin, stubbornly refusing to leave.

I shifted my heavy bag, packed with today's bento and several books, so that it wasn't digging into my back quite so much. I had homework to do, so I had skipped the early-morning run in my training regimen to do my work before class at school.

I also switched my tennis bag to my right hand, careful not to disturb the small dragonfly.

"You might want to leave now," I murmured to him (I figured it was a he). "Go back home. Your friends probably miss you." I was kinda relieved when he didn't leave.

Anyone watching a guy talk to a dragonfly might have called me crazy. But I secretly enjoy talking to animals. I don't know why. It just feels...not exactly normal, but...right.

I nudged him again with my finger, to give him a chance to leave. Satisfied when he stayed, I started walking.

**

* * *

**

**15 minutes later**

I like going to school earlier than usual. Few people are around at 5h46AM, so almost no one bothers me. School is almost peaceful during these moments. It seems like a whole different animal than the one you see during school hours.

I look down at my arm..._Wait. Where is he?_

I inspect every inch of my arm, only to frantically conclude that the dragonfly is gone.

_When did he fly away? I didn't even feel it. _I think to myself dispointedly.

_What if I squashed him?!_ The image of me walking and carelessly pressing my arm, and my dragonfly, against something is horribly vivid, as I imagine him getting crushed, his guts spilling out...

I quickly inspect my arm, and my clothes, to find any...traces of the horrible deed.

I'm glad I don't find any, but still worried as to where he went and sad that he left.

With a sigh, I walk into the school building.

I know I shouldn't get so worked up over a bug. _But..._

I calmly enter the classroom.

"Ohayou, Kaidoh-san."

Darn. I'm so not in the mood to deal with crazy hyper girls. "Ohayou," I tell her, none too energetically. I sit down wearily and take out my science work.

Saura-san gets up, walks halfway across the room, and plops down in the seat beside me. And then she smiles.

Darn it. I try to just stare straight at my work.

"Eh? Are you doing the science questions...thing?" the girl cranes her neck to look at my stuff.

"No." I immediately lie for some reason.

"Huh?-"

"I mean yes," I am ashamed to have to recover.

"Oh. No means yes. Yes means definately. Definately means maybe," she prattles on, then says with a sheepish grin, "I was just going to do it during first class."

Procrastinator. "You shouldn't do work during classes. You should listen to Sensei."

"I always listen to Sensei at the same time. I can multitask! Anyway, it's not very important work, right?"

"T-that's not the point," I respond, although I have to admit it's true.

"'Why put off 'til tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.' A wise person said that," she informs me snobbishly.

"Fsh." I focus on my work again, and manage to get through a few questions without distraction. Which seems strange, so I peek at what Saura's doing. But the second I look up, she's on me.

"So!" she shanghai's me into another conversation, probably because of boredom, "Are you always here so early?"

"Not always," I answer, then curiosity gets the best of me, "Are you?"

Saura dosen't move for a few seconds, then snickers, which evolves into her trademark riotous laughter.

"Fine. Sorry I asked," I mutter, my cheeks turning red, even as her laughter blocks out my words.

Gasping for breath, gripping her stomach, Saura says, "I'm-gasp-so-haha-sorry!"

Eventually she quiets down, and her stream of laughter slows to a trickle of chuckles.

"Are you done?" I ask sarcastically, regretting it as her laughter starts up again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Hihihi. I've-pff-got it under control. Haha. Ha," she finally stops, and I'm too scared to say a word.

"Sorry, it's just that the idea-pfft-that _I would come to school early_, it just cracks me up for some reason," she explains.

"So why are you early today?" I ask, now having abandonned my homework.

"Uh, well, I don't know. I just woke up early and had nothing better to do than go to school- Oh my god! I have no life!" she laughs again.

I'm starting to doubt that this girl could ever have a serious conversation.

"How can you have so much energy this early in the day?" I groan, almost talking to myself, which would have been better than the reality.

"Mood swings and yogourt," she replies in a bound.

"Right..." I try to keep working...

"Hey Kaidoh-san..."

... I try to tune out that pesky voice...

"Hey-ey. Kaidoh-san!"

... why do I even bother?

"What?!" I'm irritated. I can't help it. She's just so irritating.

"I've been wondering for a while now," she leans in closer, lowering her voice, "Who are those girls?"

I follow her gaze towards the three brown-haired girls who are sitting together in the corner. Then I immediately turn my head the other way. _Not that I listen to those rumours, but..._

"Classmates." I answer briefly.

"Well, thank you Captain Obvious," she says in what I recognize to be English.

"What?" All I understood was "thank you," but from her expression, I don't think she was being sincere.

"Doesn't it seem as though there's something mysterious about them? Come on, you must know something," she looks at me with so much blinding attention, I feel like I have to tell her.

"I've heard," I start slowly, lowering my voice so it's barely audible, "people call them the Graveyard Sisters."

"They're sisters?" she asks, surprised, and I'm about to answer her when something makes my hair stand on end.

I swing around and come face to face with the Eldest of the Graveyard Sisters, Charlotte-san, who's pursing her lips and giving me the evil eye.

In that deep spooky voice of hers, she recites: "Freaks. Weirdos. Witches."

Then, the Middle, Emily-san, who's standing to my left, continues in a monotone drall: "Devils. Spooks. Diseased."

Finally, the Youngest, Anne-san, who's standing behind Saura, ends in a soft high-pitched voice that has been likened to a doll's: "Rejects. Outsiders. Strangers."

"People call us many things. Strangely, very few call us by our names," Charlotte-san starts talking to Saura-san, ignoring me. "I am Charlotte Brunty."

"I'm Emily Bell. You can call me Emily, but refrain from using those dreary honorifics."

"Anne Grey. Please call me Anne."

I'm shocked. I've barely talked to these girls since I met them in first year. They're British, so I thought they didn't talk much because of the language barrier. Judging from their excellent japanese, apparently not.

At first looking a bit taken aback, Saura-san smiles amiably and says, "Hajimemashite, Charlotte, Emily, Anne. I'm Miko."

Emily-san says, "On a side note, we're not sisters. Just neighbours."

Anne-san adds, "And friends."

Charlotte-san continues, "And acquaintances."

"But we did live next to a graveyard in England."

"Thus fueling that silly rumour."

"Didn't they say we raised corpses from the dead?"

"And they said we had a garden with bodies buried underneath."

"How ridiculous! The smell would have been just awful."

I feel like my head's spining, from hearing all this stuff. But Saura seems fascinated.

"Regardless," Charlotte-san redirects, "We came over because we heard you speaking English."

"Can you speak fluently?" Anne-san asks shyly, but letting her eyes shine with excitement.

"Yes!" Saura-san says, equally excited.

Before I have time to process this new information about her, the three British girls all smile and sit down around Saura, so right next to me.

"Would you permit us an audience then?" Emily-san questions politely.

"Of course!" Saura-san's bubbly personality perks up.

"And since you know so much about us, would it follow for us to learn something of you?"

I think Saura-san might explode with happiness. "Yay!!" Is all she says though.

And for the next 45 minutes I sit idly by as the four girls chat animatedly in rapid English. And I don't catch a single word. At this point, I think everyone has pretty much forgotten about me.

**Author's note:  
****Another long chappy! I hope the 3 new characters aren't complicating the story too much.  
I put a lot of personal experience into this one (with the dragonfly). Animals are amazing creatures and very good for metaphors****  
Has anyone guessed who Miko's cousin is yet, btw? If not, next chappy'll be very revealing!  
Review sweets! 3**


	14. Chapter 14: Crash landing

-Chapter 14-

Why is the sky so blue?

Why are the clouds so puffy and _text_ured?

Why do birds fly in such straight lines, while we humans will run around in circles for eternity without ever realizing we're lost?

Maybe if I listened to my science teacher during class, instead of doodling in my notebook, I'd find the answers to some of these questions. Maybe.

Instead, I have opted out of the here-and-now. My head, as they say, is in the clouds.

_Hello, my name is Miko Saura, aviator extraordinaire. Lord of the Skies. Rocketeer. Navigator of the Seven Atmospheres. I can jettison, I can whoop, I can whirl. I can _fly_._

_I am _there. I think loudly to myself_. I am weightless, higher than astronomically possible, and executing a perfect flight._

Then the bell rings; other people rip me out of my fantasy; and I am _here_. Grounded.

I spend five minutes sitting around like a goof, barely noticing my classmates leaving the room.

Then I snap like a pretzel and curse my carelessness: _Lunch_!

_Where has my hors d'oeuvre gone? _I ask myself woefully as I look around for Kaidoh-san.  
_Where is my _patisserie_? My _babaganoush_? My _soufflé_? In short, where the heck is the guy who's supposed to show me where to eat and to entertain me for an hour with his funny comments?_

Honestly, I can't blame him for taking the quickest exit away from me. (I actually lied when I said he invited me to eat with him again. If I was a lawyer, you could say I badgered him to be my accomplice, using less than savoury means. Not that it would hold up in a court of law anyway.)

_I guess he's like the Kaidoh-bus. _I reasoned. _If you happen to catch him on time, he's as sure as a bowl full of cherries. But, if you're a minute too late, or the bus driver decides he doesn't like your face, no way josé are you gettin' on._

"Hey."

I look up startled. And then I am shocked.

"Hurry up," Kaidoh-san tells me.

"You're not a bus!" I blurt out.

He gives me a look that plainly translates as, _"Who are you and who stole your brains?"_

I jump up and grab my bag before he 'fsh'es and walks away.

You won't see _me_ missing an opportunity to hop on a moving vehicle.

* * *

"You're quiet."

"Huh?" This is ood. I don't think anyone has ever called me that. "Aaah, do you miss the beautiful sound of my voice, Kaidoh-san?"

"No." Ouch. "I was just wondering if you had had a heart attack or an epilepsy."

"Nope. Haha." My real problems are much uglier and drawn out, and you'll be lucky to never know them. "My ticker's ticking just fine, see?" I grab his hand to press it against my wrist, so he can feel my pulse, but he tugs away violently.

"Fssssssssh!"

"I-I'm sorry!" I'm embarassed. I don't usually stutter, but his face is twisted up like he's sick and it's making me feel hated. I hate that feeling.

"It's weird!" I can't hide the hurt on my face.  
His speech speeds up, almost to a rant, "No! I mean, I hate it when people do that. Not that! But...touching...the skin and the veins and the soft-ness...I...it bothers me..."

This is what I get: "You don't like touching people's wrists?"

"Yes." Kaidoh breathes, relieved, but still red from explaining.

I'm relieved too (for different reasons).

I smile. I swear, I think Kaidoh almost smiled back. I'm so happy, I can't resist getting...silly.

"So...is it just when you touch somebody else's wrist or is it just wrist-touching in general? Like, how about this?" I press two fingers against my right wrist.

"Fssh!"

For the rest of our lunch, I run around trying to show my wrist to Kaidoh, and, whenever that would die down, I'd sneak up on him to try to grab his.

* * *

"Okay! Truce!" I finally yell, panting.

No, I am not falling behind on my training! Let's see you try to run around chasing a tennis athlete with freakish stamina for a half hour, and we'll see if _you're _a little short of breath.

Kaidoh-san slows down his trying-to-look-unaffected-but-really-repulsed-to-the-inner-shackles-of-my-soul step, and turns to look at me suspiciously. Well, maybe I deserve that.

"Seriously! I promise! No more wrist-touching. Listen, it's almost time to go back to class and... I don't... know how to get back."

For a second it looks like he's considering leaving me to flounder. Which I may also deserve, namely for kicking over his bento box when I spotted him behind a tree.

"You promise?" Kaidoh says, like a little kid being tricked and abused by an older sibling. If I wasn't pumped full of adrenaline, I might actually feel bad.

"Yes." I assure him.

I follow him as he goes to pick up his scattered belongings, nonchalantly taking my bag.

I can tell he's still watching me from the corner of his eye, untrusting. _He's alert; I have to wait 'til he lets his guard down._

I chatter pointlessly as we head for school, to distract him. I can't tell if he's actually listening...but he does become calmer, settling into a relaxed pace.

I pretend to settle too. Until I see my chance and...strike!

"Gaw!" Kaidoh reacts as I snatch his bandanna. His quick reflexes almost spoiled the whole plan; I dashed away just in time.

Now, before I was chasing/threatening _him_ while he tried to avoid/escape confrontation, and I managed to keep up pretty well. So, I figured, I can probably use the element of surprise and stay away long enough to make the game _interesting_.

Turns out, I made an error in my calculations. I forgot to factor in the effect anger can have on a person's abilities, and the fear one feels when one is the Prey.

I just ran.

Slipping past surprised students and reversing direction a few times, I was able to evade the Predator for about four minutes.

Then, I stopped.

Not because Kaidoh caught up to me, but because of what (or who) I saw walking down the hallway, on a collision course.

My mind barely had time to register: 'cousin,' before I skidded to a halt.

But it was too late.

* * *

**Kaidoh's POV**

I could just scream. Nobody touches my bandannas, except my mom when she cleans them. They are special. They make me different. I _like_ them.

I could explode. I might have, if the girl I was aiming to blow up at wasn't surrounded by my senpais.

Seeing them, these people I have looked up to, tried to emulate, and respect more than any others (apart from my parents), was like being drenched in cold water. My legs, my lungs, even my head seemed slowed by it. Suddenly I am aware of the people around us, and of how bad it would have looked to yell in public.

Once I start thinking about it, I feel really foolish. Getting all worked up over something so stupid: it isn't me. I rearrange my emotions while I survey the scene.

Tezuka-buchou and Oishi-fukubuchou are wrapped up in an important discussion. Oishi-senpai looks anxious, but buchou exudes cool confidence. (Not a conceited, 'I-can-do-anything' bravado, that some fakers adopt; it was more of a powerful, 'I have faith in my abilities' characteristic that made him such a great captain.)

Saura-san was being helped up by Fuji-senpai. It looks like she ran into him. I'm close enough now to hear him asking her, "How are you?"

Her head is downcast, which I hope is a sign of repentance. My bandanna is being choked by her hand.

"Tezuka-buchou, Fuji-senpai, Oishi-fukubuchou." I greet my team mates seriously.

"Kaidoh-san." Tezuka-buchou nods, adding a farewell, "Fuji," in his friend's direction.

Tezuka-buchou and Oishi-senpai keep walking and talking, apparently hurrying to a meeting.

I return my attention to Saura-san, who is still being questioned by Fuji-senpai. Her face hasn't resurfaced, and she's not saying a word. I wish she would just look at me with her mishievous grin and say a less-than-100%-sincere, 'I'm sorry.' It would make things easier.

I get a bit angry again, this time because of her rudeness towards an upper-classman. She didn't even say sorry for walking right into him!

"Kaidoh-kun," Fuji turns to me. "Do you know her?"

I want to say: 'No, I have nothing to do with this rude girl.'

"She's holding your bandanna, isn't she? Can you make sure she gets back to her class safely?"

Dammit. Stuck with her. "Yes, senpai."

As soon as Fuji is out of sight, I grab my bandanna out of her hand and am about to start condemning her foolishness, when I see her eyes.

I hate crying. Emotional people who are always looking for 'shoulders' are useless. But I definately did not want a girl to burst into tears in front of me in the middle of the hallway.

For lack of a list of comforting gestures, I just said, "Let's go to class."

When she still wouldn't move, I took her by the hand and lead her back to class.

"I'm not showing you how to get here next time, so figure it out on your own." We're a few minutes early. She still looks shocked.

_I can't understand any of this._ It was a lot simpler when I was just running after her because she stole one of my most prized possessions. But then she ran into them and-

_What if meeting Fuji-senpai for the first time transformed her into... a fangirl? _Rather dramatic, but one of the few things I could think of that would make a girl act this way.

_Or she's just embarassed for getting caught acting so childish... _Although she still hasn't apologized for taking my bandanna.

"Saura-san?"

She didn't respond.

"Fshh." _This girl is confusing. _I was about to step into class when I heard her mutter: "He didn't even recognize me."

_What is she talking about?_ I ask myself, exasperated. _I'm too involved already. _I'm starting to get tired of her games._ She's just trying to suck me back in._

I resist her whirlwind pull and walk straight to my desk. I don't look back.

I'm out of sympathy and patience.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
I won't even say it. I have no words. Nothing to explain this absence. No excuses.  
For now, I'm back. Thank you to those who are still here. I understand eitherway.  
...Enough with the foul mood! All right, so, in case you weren't paying attention, there's only 2 people who Miko's cousin could be.  
Can you figure it out? :3**


	15. Chapter 15: People Are Nonsensical

-Chapter 15-

Slash POV

With a careless throw of her arm, she hits the ball behind her opponent, in the top right corner, just as she finishes the melody of a Bowie song.

"Game Coulis. 5 games to 1."

Annabelle approaches the bench, supposedly to drink and towel off, but really to check her iPod compulsively. And chat.

"Not much competition," she begins, scrolling through her playlist.

"It's just a state-wide tournament for rich little girls with tennis courts and private instructors, trying to bring home daddy a nice trophy to brag about." I drone.

"My, my, someone sounds jealous," she sticks out her tongue at me like a child.

"Of you? Hell, it's just 2000$ and another title. Chump change." Besides, I was disqualified because I didn't show up, not because I lost.

"I meant them." The rascal prods me with her words.

I look over at her opponent, a girl with more fashion sense than skill. She's sweating like a weight-lifter.

Reading my thoughts, Annabelle says: "You're too hard on them. That girl hasn't thrown a fit, argued with the ref, or let up her game for one minute. Which some people would have easily done in her situation."

"Hey, I'm working on my temper-" Bella's phone rings. I swipe her bag over the fence and pull out her cell, which is blasting some indie music.

"Miko." I announce, unsurprised. The girl can hardly breathe without her "Onee-chan". Then I notice the missed calls. "Hey, she's called you four times already! What's up?"

The French girl arranges her racquet, not answering. "Bella?" I don't have a clue what's going on here. Since when does she avoid Miko's calls?

"Il faut finir la partie. (I need to finish the match) You answer it." And then she walks onto the court.

"What? Come on, you can finish this in two minutes!" My yell pisses off the other player's coach, but I don't care. If Bella can cut off Miko...

Annabelle faces off against the other girl. (Just to clarify, I'm not being cocky when I say Bella could finish her off easily. The girl's not awful; she's only years behind Bella, physically and mentally.) Instead of the game ending, it gets stretched out while Bella switches tactics. Matching her playing style to the beat, she sings in a crescendo of power. Her song, some kind of French rock, goes:

"Je voue mes nuits à l'assasymphonie, aux requiems.

Tuant, par dépit, ce que je sème.

Je voue mes nuits à l'assasymphonie et aux blasphèmes.

J'avoue, je maudis tout ceux qui s'aiment."

Meanwhile, I have to answer the dumb phone, because Miko refuses to give up and Annabelle is ignoring her while slowly destroying her opponent. And somehow Coach is going to blame the ridiculous phone bills and Annabelle's fatigue on me. FML.

* * *

Miko POV

"Factory Made Losers. If you've got a problem, we did it."

I'm disappointed to recognize Slash's voice. "Oh. Hi Slash."

Slash makes a clicking noise. I can see her little angry tic starting to surface. First, she clicks her tongue; then, her lip curls up in slow motion, showing her teeth in a grimace. It's her "Why is everyone so _rude_" face.

She replies, "Yep, just me. Nothing interesting going on about me at all. But please, bounce your problems off of me like a diving board. Leaves my head ringing for ages…"

Even her incessant complaints don't amuse me today. A little sigh escapes me, and goes unnoticed while Slash prattles on. _She sounds nervous_, I realize. _Is she hiding something?_ I decide to face this the SLASHTASTIC way, without any regard for personal safety or social norms.

"Is Bella avoiding me?" I say loudly and clearly into my cell.

Slash slams to a halt. She sputters for a second. Then she goes quiet. She's thinking, and that's definitely not a good sign.

"Well, please tell her to call me back when she's ready to—okay Slash? Bye."

"Mi—"

I hang up. I look at my phone like a foreign object. All those names and numbers mean nothing when the most important person in your life refuses to talk to you.

* * *

Kaidoh P.O.V.

"Hey."

My body jerks forward guiltily. My hands are glued to my shoe. I feel like I've been caught stealing.

It's Momoshiro-san. He's just come out from the change room. He has his shirt around his neck, and he's toweling off his sweaty mug as if he's polishing a silver cup.

"Fshhh," I acknowledge him briefly and go back to tightening my laces.

He comes and sits next to me. I prepare myself for some psych-out about the upcoming tournament.

"Why do you always change in the restroom? I mean, why not just use the change room like everyone-"

I tug my laces tighter. "It's none of your business." I glance at his expression. He seems casual, but I'm ready for him to start sneering at me at any moment. I personally prefer to change by myself, thank you, without a dozen guys pushing me around and trying to act normal while standing around naked.

Momoshiro-teme changes subjects. "What do you think about that Biker Dude who snuck in here the other day?"

"Nothing." I start readjusting my other shoe. _When is this damn conversation going to end?_

"It looks pretty bad for us when guys can just break in like that. And if it's true that he's here, in this school…" Momoshiro's always got this weird "teamwork" thing going on, like when he stood up for that first year. He's wearing an expression of deep concentration, as if he's trying to fix all the problems in the world—or in this clubroom.

He stands up and pulls his shirt over his head. "Well, just keep your eyes open, Snake."

"Fsh."

As soon as he leaves, I pack up my bag_. Gah, where's my sock_? I check under the bench. _There! Huh- _

There's a little turtle lying on her back. A plastic mini-turtle—it's the kind you'd get at an arcade to hang on your phone. I pick it up and roll it around in my hand. Her shell sparkles. I wonder if this is stealing—but then, this trinket was probably lost and forgotten a long time ago.

I take the long way around school, trying to avoid people. _Everyone's acting so weird today._ First, Saura-san would be nice one moment then irritating and totally baffling the next! After that there's Momoshiro acting a bit less idiotic than usual…

I feel like people are unfathomable. I might as well give up on ever understanding them.

**Author's Note**

**Annabelle is singing 'L'assasymphonie' from Mozart L'opera Rock. Do I have any claims to that brilliant creative venture? uh, no. But check it out on youtube. Pretty awesome costumes.**

**Do I have any claim to more followers? Honestly, I doubt this story belongs to me. But I really enjoy reviews and followers. And that's why I decided to get back into it after…2 years? Gosh, it's gonna be fun. NaNoWriMo right? This chapter is a gift to Saphem. Enjoy.**


	16. Chapter 16: Doorways

-Chapter 16-

Miko POV

My desk is covered in bananas. Yellow peels are flipped everywhere. _You lazy bananas_, I glare at them, _Why can't you go out and meet other bananas and start banana plants of your own?_

"Because you eat us!" One of the peels flips over to face me.

_And how is that my fault_? I sass them. _If you don't want to be eaten, you should refrain from becoming so delicious and attractive—_

"You're a monster." The bananas grumble and brumble. "The Miko Monster!"

_I am not!_ I insist._ I have friends. I'm a good person. I—_

"Miko Monkey!" They chant laughingly, squirming around on my desk. "Miko Monkey. Mon-mon Miko! Ou, ii, ou ah-ah! Ou, ii, ou, iiiiiiiiiiiiiii..."

I flop down my head, smearing banana paste on my face. I feel a bubbling beginning in the pit of my stomach. The half dozen bananas I scarfed down are stirring my gut juices around. I wish I had stuck to my usual yogurt lunch instead. I wish I had eaten with Kaidoh-san again, but he left as soon as the bell rang. I wish I still had my cellphone, instead of tossing it in the trash at the hotel._ I wonder how often they take out the garbage._

"Miko?"

I look up woozily, strands of peel dangling in my hair.

"Oh dear," Charlotte-san takes me by the arm. "I do believe you are sick, dear. Let's get you to the infirmary."

"No monkeys..." I try to sit back down but in some awkward movement manage to drape my chest over my banana-strewn desk, with one arm still held behind my back.

"What's she on about? Monkeys?" Emily-san helps Charlotte-san heave my body back upright.

Anne-san looks straight into my eyes, as if hoping to detect the nature of my malady therein. She brushes the banana out of my hair.

I smile thankfully at her lovely face, and then I land all of my bananas on her white shirt. I smile apologetically, and she wisely steps out of the way as I clean out my stomach all over the floor. I'd like to say that it's a testament to their virtue as friends that Charlotte, Emily, and Anne all guided me to the nurse with a bucket held under my chin.

The nurse admonished me for eating too quickly and made me lie down on my side. She went to get a spare uniform for poor Anne-san. I kept apologizing, but Anne kept shrugging.

"I may look like a prissy little foreigner," she stated, "But my parents were undertakers. I've seen a lot worse, trust me."

I still felt awful. I felt like I was only a burden for my friends, and I told them so.

"Why would you think that?" Emily asked.

It was painful to talk. I had to explain my childhood a bit, so that they could understand my devastation on finally getting to Seigaku and seeing my cousin, but not being seen for who I am. When I got to the part about calling Bella, I choked up. Not a thing came out.

They comforted me, but they didn't know me. Their advice was empty. I couldn't do it.

Charlotte-san seemed to realize this when she hushed the others and said to me, "Whatever you choose to do, Miko, it will be the right thing."

The nurse came back and urged them to "give me some air." Charlotte-san nodded at me, Emily-san told me "See you in class", and Anne-san just rubbed my back.

I turned over onto my other side. The paper cover on the bed crinkled. I feigned sleep.

* * *

Kaidoh POV

The door was open. I had been to the nurse's office before, what with playing on a sports' team and all, but I had never come in here alone before. I waited at the doorway for a minute, listening for any scuffling of feet. The hallways were quiet since most of the students had left or had gone to their clubs. I didn't hear anything from inside. I shuffled around, trying to peer around the door. I knocked. No answer. "Hello?" I pushed the door a little wider with my shoe. I convinced myself that I did have a reason to be there and walked in.

Saura-san was sitting on the bed, looking outside. She was hunched over, and her eyes were unfocused. I knew that she was sick, but I didn't realize it was this bad.

"Why didn't you answer the door?" I asked her. She didn't respond.

"Sensei told me to bring you your bag," I proved it to her by holding out her backpack and her books in my hands, but again she didn't acknowledge me.

I stepped closer. I opened my mouth; closed it. I moved my books from my right hand to my left. My eyes wandered around the room, glancing at the posters and the chair in the corner with a jacket over it. Her jacket, I assumed.

I finally looked back at her. She was wearing a white tank top. Her dark hair curled at her shoulders, contrasting with her tan skin. I hadn't noticed before that she had a bit of a farmer's tan, probably from living in America. Her right shoulder didn't look quite right. I mean, yes, it was her right shoulder, but it was paler, creased with lines and bumps that shouldn't have been there—

"Why are you staring?"

Her voice startled me. I was used to her mocking me liberally and pouting dramatically. "Fsshhh—"

She struck out at me. "Why do always do that?" I jumped back from her attack. "FSH! Just like that!" She yelled. "Dismiss me!" She punched at me again and I tried to grab her wrist. "HA! Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta—"

I dropped her stuff. Her books slammed on the floor. Papers fluttered out of notebooks. Her bag split open, and pens and junk spilled out, scattering under the desk and bed.

She went silent. She started picking up her things. She carefully stacked her books and reorganized her binder. She breathed loudly, and I knew I had made her cry.

My face flushed red. I stooped down and started picking her pens and elastics off the floor. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

She was staring into her hands. Tears were sliding down her cheeks, falling off her chin, and wetting her skirt. She sniffled. She brushed the back of her hand against her nose. A line of snot smeared across her hand.

I brought her a box of tissues from the desk. She wiped her face clean before finally looking at me.

"I-I don't ... need ... I don't need your pity," she choked out in between sobs.

"I wasn't offering it to you," I said. I wanted to smack myself for sounding so rude. "I mean, instead of pity, you can have my friendship." I wanted to smack myself for sounding so cheesy. I couldn't get the words out right. "Fs- ah sorry."

She laughed. She kept crying afterwards, but I felt better. "Don't worry. I don't mind your Fshh," she smiled at me with encouragement. "It's actually pretty cute."

I reddened and Fshhed. She laughed again and pecked me on the cheek. She did it so quickly. I was a bit disappointed because I hadn't had time to feel it properly—what am I saying?! FSSHHH!

We got all of her stuff together. She put her jacket back on. I asked her if she was feeling better. She looked sad, and I was afraid she was going to start crying again. "My stomach's fine," she answered, "But it's my heart that's really sick."

My mind flashed back to the incident from the other day. Did she actually fall in love with Fuji-senpai that day?!

"Please, Saura-san, you should just give it up..."

"Wait," she turned on me, "you know?"

My face reddened. It was worse than I thought. "Look, he is a very nice person, but I just don't think he's interested."

"Did Charlotte-san and them tell you?"

"No," I replied honestly, "I just guessed from the look on your face after meeting him."

She grimaced, "You must think I'm pretty stupid."

"No. Well, maybe a little. I don't really understand what girls see in him. He does have pretty eyes, but you so rarely get to see them—"

"Wait. What?" She looked dumbfounded.

I tried to recover my dignity, "W-well, it's not as if I stare into his eyes or anything, but from what I hear they're nice." Her expression scared me a little. "Look, please, don't—"

Saura-san burst out laughing. Her books slipped out of her hands, she was laughing so hard. I looked around, embarrassed. She squeezed my hand suddenly and said, "Kaidoh-_kun_! You are so cute."

I didn't care that she had called me "Kaidoh-_kun_". I didn't care that she had called me cute a second time in one day. All I could think was how I wanted her to kiss me again so I could feel it.

Why did I walk through that door?

* * *

Miko POV

I walked home thinking about how cute Kaidoh-kun looked when he got confused. I had almost felt brave enough to walk with him to the tennis courts, march right up to Chiro-kun and say, "Here's me. Take me or not." Almost. I still had a ways to go.

**END OF FIRST ARC**

**Author's Note  
Be prepared for a time skip guys. **


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